> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.meetgail.com/platform/workflows/node-reference/integrations/google-drive/google-drive-download-file/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.meetgail.com/_mcp/server.

# Google Drive Download File

> Downloads a single Google Drive file into the run so later steps can use it.

The Download File node pulls one file out of Google Drive and into your workflow,
so a later step, such as an agent or an upload, can work with it. You point it at
a file by its id, usually one you got from a List Files step.

## When to use it

* You want to bring a Drive file into the run to analyze, parse, or forward it.
* You listed a folder and now want to download one or more of the results.
* You need a file from Drive to hand to another step later in the workflow.

## Inputs

| Field     | What it's for                                                                              | Example                      |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------- |
| File      | The Drive file to download, identified by its id.                                          | An id from a List Files step |
| Export as | For Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Drawings, the format to convert to before downloading. | `PDF`                        |

Any field can be a fixed value or an [expression](/platform/workflows/core-concepts/expressions/using-expressions-in-nodes)
that reads from an earlier step, such as a file id from a List Files result.

## Outputs

| Field | What you get back                                                                |
| ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| File  | The downloaded file, ready to pass to later steps such as an agent or an upload. |

## Example

Marcus Johnson's renewal packet lives in Google Drive as a PDF. A workflow uses
Download File to pull it into the run by its id, then hands the file to an
[Agent](/platform/workflows/node-reference/ai/agent) step that reads it and summarizes the
key coverage changes.

![The Google Drive Download File node configuration panel, showing the file id and export format.](/_fern-img/0a50f163f967e1418b9a23ea8ba18cb984ea223aa2e35e298106f477244ff9c0.webp)

> **Note**
>
> Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings are not regular files, so they cannot
> be downloaded as-is - pick an "export as" format (for example PDF, .docx, or
> .csv) to convert them first. Regular files download directly. Files larger than
> 250 MB cannot be downloaded.

## Related nodes

#### [List Files](/platform/workflows/node-reference/integrations/google-drive/google-drive-list-files)

Find the file to download first.

#### [Upload File](/platform/workflows/node-reference/integrations/google-drive/google-drive-upload-file)

Save the file back into Drive after working with it.

#### [Agent](/platform/workflows/node-reference/ai/agent)

Hand the downloaded file to an agent to analyze it.

#### [Parse CSV](/platform/workflows/node-reference/files-and-documents/parse-csv)

Read the rows out of a downloaded CSV file.

> Documentation for Gail, the AI platform for financial services. Learn how to set up GailGPT and Gail Agent to automate customer communications for insurance, banking, and finance.